House Hunters International - General Discussion

[iMonrey]

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 I hope they were able to find work in Phnom Penh. 

Yes, at the end they said she got a teaching job at an institutional school, and he got a job as a principal at a school that was just setting up. But they also had to take on private tutoring on the side to afford the $375 a month rent, which is why I wondered how crappy the pay must be there.

[mojito]

I haven't seen anyone yet on these shows who was working in Asia teaching English who seemed to be doing more than making ends meet, and that's with a roommate. Travelling English teachers must be pretty easy to come by in that region.

Those tarantula snacks... I can't even walk down the meat section of my neighborhood Latino supermarket for fear of which animal head I might see; when I think of Asia, I think of the local food and I turn into a persnickety kid in a high chair. I don't want my protein to look like what it actually is (no skin, bones, or obvious fat, and in this case, legs). 

[juliet73]

I LOVED the Idaho to New Zealand couple!! It was so refreshing to see a couple that was so respectful to each other.  Also, loved that he gave up working so much because he valued his family time, etc over money!! 

[Bronx Babe]

The "Idaho" professional mermaid wife was obviously from NZ as she had the accent, but nothing was mentioned on her background.  I did enjoy them as a couple -- it seemed to me like the husband might have had some health crisis -- physical or psychological, which precipitated the family move.  She was initially annoying to me with all that forced laughter but at the "epilogue" you could see how genuinely solicitous she was towards him and how he appreciated and valued her total support. 

[AuntiePam]

I liked the mermaid and the machinist too, and I thought all three houses were wonderful -- so much light, big windows.  Surprising that they could get a big place with a pool for $1500 a month. 

So maybe the salt water explains the wife's hair?  At first I thought she used too much product.  I wanted to give her hair a hot oil treatment. 

[juliet73]

3 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

The "Idaho" professional mermaid wife was obviously from NZ as she had the accent, but nothing was mentioned on her background.  

I thought she had an accent too, but they mentioned they were moving to NZ "site unseen."  I looked her up and besides being a mermaid, she's also a children's author. "Born in Bahrain, the Middle East, Ashley has been an expatriate her entire life, living in Spain, England & the USA." I guess her accent is a mix of a few areas of the world. 

[magemaud]

A House Hunting Mermaid! That's got to be a new one for all the real estate shows. 

[Bronx Babe]

3 hours ago, juliet73 said:

I thought she had an accent too, but they mentioned they were moving to NZ "site unseen."  I looked her up and besides being a mermaid, she's also a children's author. "Born in Bahrain, the Middle East, Ashley has been an expatriate her entire life, living in Spain, England & the USA." I guess her accent is a mix of a few areas of the world. 

Very interesting! 

[mojito]

I can relate to people who seek out new adventures in other countries. I have a hard time, though, with the notion that it takes a move to another country to slow down, which it seems that many house hunters state that they believe. I don't buy it. Are people so pressured by peers that they can't make a stand and alter their lives right where they are, or at least in a less populated American region? Back in the mid-80s, I recall listening to a radio talk show where people in major cities discussed their choice to become less materialistic, busy, burdened by social "obligations". I'm old school and think that change comes from within more than from external forces.

The Idaho couple makes you think more about the countless ways that people make money, doesn't it? A mermaid? Who'd've thunk?

[juliet73]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

I can relate to people who seek out new adventures in other countries. I have a hard time, though, with the notion that it takes a move to another country to slow down, which it seems that many house hunters state that they believe. I don't buy it. Are people so pressured by peers that they can't make a stand and alter their lives right where they are, or at least in a less populated American region? Back in the mid-80s, I recall listening to a radio talk show where people in major cities discussed their choice to become less materialistic, busy, burdened by social "obligations". I'm old school and think that change comes from within more than from external forces.

I agree with you, but I also can understand their point as well. My family and I moved from a big busy city to a small Midwestern town.  I am able to stay home with the kids,  etc so the location change and not having both my husband and I juggling jobs and family life slowed us down.  However,  I think if we moved out of the country,  we could slow down even more.  Depending on where you live,  you get more paid time off, longer maternity leave,   shorter work weeks, etc.  I think in the US, more people live to work whereas in other countries, the mentality is more work to live. Plus, parents aren't rushing to take their children to multiple activities, etc. Also,  I don't think people try to "keep up with the Jones",  etc. like they do in the US.    

[Pickles]

I liked the couple moving to Lucerne. I thought they chose the best apartment. The location was great. What a beautiful city.

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

I liked the couple moving to Lucerne. I thought they chose the best apartment. The location was great. What a beautiful city.

Me too -- nice people, good choice.  They'll be out and about so will have plenty of opportunities to see all the scenery. 

[abbyzenn]

Re:  the teachers moving to Cambodia.  My brother worked in Thailand for several years before marrying a Cambodian.  They decided to move to Cambodia to be near her family (an area close to Ankor Wat).  He's a teacher and taught there.  He said the pay is really poor because there are so many volunteers who come to Cambodia to teach English that the schools don't really have to pay much.  I think it's different if you teach at an International School like those attended by children of embassy personnel rather than a local Cambodian school.

[Albino]

Ugh.  Most boring episode ever tonight.  Middle-aged lady moves from NYC (I think?) to a little town in Italy to get in touch with her roots.  There was nothing really obnoxious about her, but nothing particularly charming or likable either.  Now I know why HH usually insists on a pair of house hunters - spouse, child, friend, mother, father, whatever - because just one person can be really meh. Especially if it's this woman.

Cooking was very important to her because she likes to entertain a lot (not sure if she even has the capacity to be entertaining...) but of course she picks the one apartment without an oven.  What happened to her "if the kitchen doesn't work, the house doesn't work" mantra?  Also noticed that the scary steep spiral staircase blocked the front loading washer (or dryer).  WTF?

I did love when the she pointed out that the kitchen didn't have an oven the realtor said "But it has this beautiful window!".

Edited September 14, 2016 by Albino

[JasmineFlower]

I didn't see the whole Italy (Sicily, I think) episode. Did I miss something? I must have. She chose an apartment without an oven, but was writing a cookbook??? That doesn't compute if she felt the need to point out the lack of oven. She clearly was planning on cooking with an oven. I'm not sure why the kitchen wasn't more of a need for the cookbook as opposed to the entertaining. And I did catch the "if the kitchen doesn't work, the house doesn't work" mantra and her saying that about the kitchen with no oven. I'm guessing because I didn't watch the whole thing I just didn't understand the choice at the end.

[Ohwell]

That lady in the Sicily episode was so boring I turned away after about 10 minutes.  I didn't care what she chose.

[AuntiePam]

What bugged me about the Sicily lady was that she was trying too hard to be -- what's the word I'm looking for? -- romantic?  Her modulated voice, her choice of words, showing off her vocabulary -- a house had the "essence of the flavor of Taormina" (essence and flavor are the same thing), describing herself as a "jazz singer  chanteuse".  And then at the end, sitting with the realtor, rehashing the pros and cons of the houses, and the dramatic pause as she gave her decision.  "I have chosen -- [wait for it] -- the two-story house."

She just seemed phony.

[Diane M]

I wondered how she planned to live on just savings.  She was an aging singer who hoped to get some singing work in Sicily.  I wouldn't count on that.  

She said that she bought a portable oven.  Never heard of such a thing unless she meant a toaster oven, which doesn't work for everything.

[iMonrey]

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describing herself as a "jazz singer  chanteuse".

I thought that was awfully pretentious and I have a hard time believing she ever made a living from that, given what little we saw of her singing abilities.

This particular episode was painfully fake because I could tell immediately which apartment was already hers despite the fact that it was the one which met her stated needs the least. There was some weird gurney looking thing with a sheet over it in the kitchen/living room, and whenever there's a sheet covering something, you can bank on that apartment being the one they already live in.

The first apartment with the full kitchen, oven and refrigerator was clearly the best choice for someone writing a cookbook so clearly that was never really an option for her. That third apartment with the narrow space between the kitchen counter and the window was just weird - it would have been like living in a display case.

I'd love to know the logistics of how this show works, given that we know these people already live in these apartments before they ever even sign up for the show. I'm guessing the HHI crew comes in and moves most of the furniture elsewhere to simulate the "hasn't moved in yet" look.

[AuntiePam]

12 minutes ago, Diane M said:

I wondered how she planned to live on just savings.  She was an aging singer who hoped to get some singing work in Sicily.  I wouldn't count on that.  

She said that she bought a portable oven.  Never heard of such a thing unless she meant a toaster oven, which doesn't work for everything.

It looked like a microwave.  Could have been a toaster oven -- it was kinda big.

I wonder how long she'll be able to stay in Sicily.  Maybe she only planned to stay long enough to write the cookbook, and get some publicity for it from being on the show. 

[Mittengirl]

Italy buyer last night talked like Harlequin Romance writers write - all flowery and verbose.  She drove me nuts.  And her "singing" - your average church choir has better singers.

[AuntiePam]

4 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Italy buyer last night talked like Harlequin Romance writers write - all flowery and verbose.  She drove me nuts.  And her "singing" - your average church choir has better singers.

That's it -- what I was trying to say about the way she spoke, her word choices.  I really think she went to Sicily to find love. 

[AlleC17]

4 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

What bugged me about the Sicily lady was that she was trying too hard to be -- what's the word I'm looking for? -- romantic?  Her modulated voice, her choice of words, showing off her vocabulary -- a house had the "essence of the flavor of Taormina" (essence and flavor are the same thing), describing herself as a "jazz singer  chanteuse".  And then at the end, sitting with the realtor, rehashing the pros and cons of the houses, and the dramatic pause as she gave her decision.  "I have chosen -- [wait for it] -- the two-story house."

She just seemed phony.

She was very pretentious I thought.  Also she is a 'singer', so she moves to a city where only one hotel offers live music at times?  How is she going to support herself?  Somehow, I don't think her cookbook will generate that much income. 

[buttersister]

Oy, vanity publishing the cookbook? The toaster oven might have had a convection feature---who knows? And what's with the entertaining? At least she didn't whine about not being able to make a turkey at Thanksgiving. Also, how many times did the patient realtor say how expensive the area was?

[AuntiePam]

The couple in Australia -- lovely people, solicitous of each other, and they found the perfect place.  Very little drama, and some great scenery.  It was funny, how he didn't fit in the showers.  Did he fit in the one they chose?  I don't remember.  Not a big deal to move the shower head up a foot though, not for a builder anyway.

I would have loved the Bush House -- all those gorgeous trees.  I think they said it was six acres -- if it all looked like that, wow. 

[Bronx Babe]

I checked out Antoinette Silicato.

Her biography is just as pretentious.

She lived in Sicily from 2007 to 2010 and then moved to Las Vegas.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Bronx Babe

[Albino]

39 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

I just checked out Antoinette Silicato.

Her biography is just as pretentious.

She lived in Sicily from 2007 to 2010 and then moved to Las Vegas.

Wait...so she's been living in Vegas for 6 years?   I thought this was a new episode?  Did she tire of the essence of the flavor of Taormina?

1 hour ago, AuntiePam said:

The couple in Australia -- lovely people, solicitous of each other, and they found the perfect place.  Very little drama, and some great scenery.  It was funny, how he didn't fit in the showers.  Did he fit in the one they chose?  I don't remember.  Not a big deal to move the shower head up a foot though, not for a builder anyway.

They were great.  Glad they bought the over budget home...it was fabulous.  

[biakbiak]

31 minutes ago, Albino said:

Wait...so she's been living in Vegas for 6 years?   I thought this was a new episode?  Did she tire of the essence of the flavor of Taormina?

They were great.  Glad they bought the over budget home...it was fabulous.  

It was new, other articles indicate she moved back to Sicily in 2014.

[Bronx Babe]

Thanks for that update! 

Antoinette has several YouTube videos.  Here's one:

!

Edited September 15, 2016 by Bronx Babe

[Ohwell]

My aunt sounds way better.

[TVForever]

I've just watched the Taormina episode this morning, and I really didn't mind her so much. How she's really going to make a living there I have no idea (it wont be as a singer), but maybe the world needs a few dreamy souls who talk like they live in a romance novel. We've seen much worse HHs on this show, Goodness knows.

[AuntiePam]

3 hours ago, Ohwell said:

My aunt sounds way better.

She sounds better than I thought she would, and the dark hair looks good on her.  I wonder how old that video is.

[AlleC17]

I liked the Australia couple as well and am glad they picked that house.  I had to laugh though:  it was $50k over budget and they did grumble about that, yet in the 'after' scenes, she has horses, a few sheep and dog...those don't come free, so I guess it wasn't that much over their real budget.  I liked the second house a lot as well, and as it was $20k under budget, surely it wouldn't be that much to build a shed for him?  I didn't care for the closeness of the power lines though, so glad they got the house that had everything they wanted.

[mojito]

Pleasant Australia couple. A first for me: hearing the husband (or anyone, for that matter) worrying about how he would keep the vaulted ceilings clean...

What I didn't get was that she got the paddock (a word I had to look up), he got the shed, but did the horses get a stable? There was no mention of one and she thought the one at the second house was a nice bonus.

[AuntiePam]

12 minutes ago, mojito said:

What I didn't get was that she got the paddock (a word I had to look up), he got the shed, but did the horses get a stable? There was no mention of one and she thought the one at the second house was a nice bonus.

A bonus for sure, but do horses need both a stable and a paddock?  I sure don't know, but it seems that if they have plenty of enclosed outdoor space, and indoor space for protection, that should be enough.  ??  A paddock and a stable would be two areas to keep clean. 

[Bronx Babe]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

She sounds better than I thought she would, and the dark hair looks good on her.  I wonder how old that video is.

From December of 2012.

[AlleC17]

2 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

A bonus for sure, but do horses need both a stable and a paddock?  I sure don't know, but it seems that if they have plenty of enclosed outdoor space, and indoor space for protection, that should be enough.  ??  A paddock and a stable would be two areas to keep clean. 

I thought the 3rd place had shed, pool, paddocks and stable.  As for needing a paddock and stable:  it appeared that the paddocks had no shelter for the horses, so were just turnouts.  They would then either need a field shelter to get out of the elements if and when they wanted or a stable so their owner can bring them inside at times.  My horse has a stable that opens out to a paddock so she can roam if she wants and then come inside, which she likes to do a lot.  Keeping them just in a stable without turnout, which happens a lot in the US, is not great for the horses, as they need to roam.

[Mittengirl]

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4 hours ago, AlleC17 said:

 I had to laugh though:  it was $50k over budget and they did grumble about that, yet in the 'after' scenes, she has horses, a few sheep and dog...those don't come free, so I guess it wasn't that much over their real budget.

Maybe she got the critters on the Australian version of craigslist.  I see all kinds of animals offered there.  If only my city allowed goats ...

Edited September 15, 2016 by Mittengirl
Oops!

[JasmineFlower]

You think you've seen and heard everything on House Hunters and all its varieties when a HHIer from Oregon looking in San Jose del Cabo who needs a much better bra game kicks out "I'm a very sensitive and sensual person..." I'm speechless at the word usage. There were just so many other ways to say that.

[MsTree]

I'm beginning to think that the prerequisite for being on HH or HHI is that you must be an out-of-work singer or lounge act. And to the losers, do you really think you're going to be "discovered" on a house hunting show? GMAFB.

[TVForever]

A few years ago, HGTV ran a short series of episodes about what it's really like to live as expats in some of the places that HHI has taken us to. I'm guessing this was a pilot season that didn't get picked up. I wish it had been, because I loved those episodes. I'm as much of a real estate junkie as the next person, but there are times when HHI feels a little too familiar. I would love a show that gives us the practicalities of living in these countries.

Maybe this would be a show more suited to CNBC than HGTV, but I would certainly watch.

[mojito]

19 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

A paddock and a stable would be two areas to keep clean. 

It's my understanding that a paddock is merely outdoor space. It looked like there was just a shed for the husband. But you know how video gets cropped, so perhaps they didn't show everything. 

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 I would love a show that gives us the practicalities of living in these countries.

Maybe this would be a show more suited to CNBC than HGTV, but I would certainly watch.

So would I. It gets pretty mind-numbing staring at beach all the time, and I would like to know how quickly people grow tired of that slower lifestyle, of other ex-pats, even their partners without some of the distractions of their old lifestyles. I also wonder how free people feel to wander around the country to explore, particularly in some points south of the US. 

Edited September 16, 2016 by mojito

[AuntiePam]

10 hours ago, JasmineFlower said:

You think you've seen and heard everything on House Hunters and all its varieties when a HHIer from Oregon looking in San Jose del Cabo who needs a much better bra game kicks out "I'm a very sensitive and sensual person..." I'm speechless at the word usage. There were just so many other ways to say that.

I noticed that too, and flashed back on it when she curled up on the bed.  My uncharitable side decided she said "sensual" to explain how a smart and sweet but kinda mousy-looking gal (no makeup, no style to her hair, no bra and small boobs) attracted her husband -- he was very attractive. 

[AlleC17]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

It's my understanding that a paddock is merely outdoor space. It looked like there was just a shed for the husband. But you know how video gets cropped, so perhaps they didn't show everything. 

 

A paddock IS outdoor space.  But horses need shelter from the elements...shade from the sun and to get in out of the rain, although a lot of horses don't care.  Mine thinks she will melt in the rain.  Anyway, both areas need to be cleaned.  Poo picking a paddock is important to cut down on flies and worms. 

She may have gotten them off CL, but those horses looked pretty nice so I doubt they were free.  Earlier in the episode it shows her with them at the former owner, (staged...she probably already owned them lol) and they were discussing how they should be homed together and I think price may have been mentioned.  But...yeah, probably staged.  I look forward to watching the San Jose del Cabo episode.

I would so watch a show about living as an ex Pat...I think it is interesting, and if it weren't for all my animals, it would be really tempting for me to give it a whirl.

Edited September 16, 2016 by AlleC17

[CherryAmes]

I wish they'd be more realistic about how hard it can be to be an ex-pat.  Even in countries like England where you speak the language it's not as easy as this show makes it appear to move in and make a large circle of friends!  Anyone watching HHI would be forgiven for thinking that as soon as you move to another country you are living the good life with lots of people to pal around with.  So not true!!!

[Mittengirl]

I often wonder, when working people buy a house in "paradise", if it lives up to their fantasy.  They talk about going to the beach and, of course the shops and restaurants, like they will have all the time in the world.  But they still have jobs, so it's not like they have all day, every day, to kick back and enjoy.   I think it would make going to work that much harder, when paradise beckons outside your window.   Or when only one person is working and the other half can kick back and enjoy it all.

[iMonrey]

Does anyone else suspect that when they show these families "buying" a vacation property south of the border (instead of actually moving there), the show is sometimes passing off time shares as properties they're actually buying? I think at the very least some of the decoy properties are really time shares, especially when they're looking at both houses and condos, like the couple buying in Cabo.  Maybe I'm just a cynic, but when the family isn't actually moving and says they just want a vacation home they'll spend a couple weeks in, and rent out the rest of the year, I start wondering if maybe they're really just showing a time share they bought into. That's what a lot of them look like to me.

[mojito]

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 I think it would make going to work that much harder, when paradise beckons outside your window. 

It's easy to go to work on a perfect day in paradise, because you can be pretty sure that Saturday and Sunday will be perfect, too. 

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Maybe I'm just a cynic, but when the family isn't actually moving and says they just want a vacation home they'll spend a couple weeks in, and rent out the rest of the year, I start wondering if maybe they're really just showing a time share they bought into. That's what a lot of them look like to me.

That's a good point. Never thought of that.

I noticed on this episode, they mentioned monthly fees, but didn't state what they were. 

[magemaud]

Three minutes into the Savannah to Costa Rica family who are determined to give their daughter a worldly experience living abroad (whether she wants it or not...) I'm confused, 9 year old Camille sleeps in a CRIB surrounded by stuffed animals? 

[KLovestoShop]

Oy, the Savannah to Costa Rica family. I totally disliked the father.  It's all about him, and what he wants, and the child be damned, even if she's unhappy.  And why do they allow that child to sleep in a baby crib?   Something isn't right about that.  

Dad and his BS of putting animals and plants above letting the child have human friends is not right.  If it were me, I'd tell him to pack up his bags and live in his jungle.